No Surprises In South Africa

July 23, 1985|By Brown

No one should be surprised by the violent unrest that has erupted in South Africa to protest apartheid. It was inevitable. After all, the repugnant practice of denying basic rights to the country's non-white population has been going on since the beginning of the century. For the most part, blacks cannot travel freely, own property or vote.

It also should come as no surprise that South Africa Prime Minister Pieter Botha has declared an oppressive state of emergency to try to quell the protests. Police are making arrests without warrants, seizing property, imposing curfews and detaining prisoners without speedy access to the courts.

But it should come as a surprise that the Reagan administration -- which uses talk as its only tool against apartheid -- has avoided criticizing the South African government for assuming such extraordinary emergency powers. What would a denunciation do? It would make crystal clear that the United States believes that South Africa's racial policies are responsible for the violence. Strong talk at a time like this is the best thing the United States can do to send a message that South Africa should change its racial policies. Yes, there are other alternatives in dealing with South Africa. Both Houses of Congress have voted to apply economic sanctions against the country. The Senate wants to ban new U.S. bank loans, prohibit the transfer of nuclear technology and limit the sale of computers to South Africa. It specifies greater sanctions if efforts are not made to end apartheid within 18 months. The House goes even further. It supports stiff sanctions right away, including a ban on importing Krugerrands and the end of new U.S. private investment in South Africa.

The problem is that economic sanctions probably won't work. The reason? All countries would not follow the lead of the United States, meaning sanctions would be insufficient to end apartheid. South Africa could meet its economic needs by turning more heavily to other countries that depend on it economically. Furthermore, the country has tremendous domestic resources and could sustain a long period of economic isolation.

What also should be considered is the unfortunate impact on South Africa's blacks. Economic sanctions could make life even more miserable for them. The end of U.S. private investment would mean fewer jobs for many black South Africans.

The United States cannot do something about every international problem. But it should at least make itself heard. In this case, the American commitment against apartheid needs to be reinforced. President Reagan should make every effort to have apartheid rescinded. That means speaking out against the government responsible for the political system that has led to the violence.